Meghívom a barátaimat, mert szombaton együtt ünnepelünk.

Meghívom means I invite him/her/it or I invite [a specific thing/person].

The base verb hív means to call or to invite, depending on context, but meghív is the usual verb for invite in the sense of asking someone to come somewhere.

The prefix meg- is a very common Hungarian verbal prefix. In many verbs, it adds a sense of completion, result, or simply creates a more specific lexical meaning. In this case, learners should mostly remember meghívni = to invite as a whole verb.

The ending -om shows:

• 1st person singular: I
• definite conjugation

Hungarian has two main verb conjugations in the present tense:

• indefinite: used when there is no definite object, or no object at all
• definite: used when the verb has a definite direct object

Here the object is a barátaimat = my friends, which is definite, so Hungarian uses the definite form:

• meghívok = I invite / I am inviting (someone, something indefinite)
• meghívom = I invite it / them, or I invite a specific person/group

Because in this sentence ünnepelünk has no direct object.

It means simply we celebrate or we will celebrate, not we celebrate something specific.

So:

• ünnepelünk = we celebrate
• a születésnapot ünnepeljük = we celebrate the birthday

This is why the first verb is definite (meghívom) but the second one is not (ünnepelünk).

Because barátaimat is the accusative form, used for a direct object.

• barátaim = my friends
• barátaimat = my friends (as the object of the verb)

Since the speaker is inviting the friends, my friends is what receives the action, so Hungarian marks it with the accusative.

This is a very common question. In Hungarian, possessed nouns often still take the definite article:

• a barátom = my friend
• a barátaim = my friends
• a barátaimat = my friends (object form)

So although English says just my friends, Hungarian normally says a barátaim / a barátaimat in many contexts.

It sounds completely natural in Hungarian and is not redundant.

A helpful way to see it is:

• barát = friend
• barátaim = my friends
• barátaimat = my friends (direct object)

So the form contains the ideas of:

• the noun friend
• plural
• my
• accusative

You do not need to think of it as four perfectly separable English-style pieces every time, but for learning purposes it is useful to recognize:

• -aim roughly corresponds to my ...s
• -t is the accusative marker, though in this form it appears as -at because of linking vowels and normal Hungarian sound patterns

The ending -on here marks a time expression, meaning on Saturday.

With days of the week, Hungarian often uses endings like:

• hétfőn = on Monday
• kedden = on Tuesday
• szerdán = on Wednesday
• szombaton = on Saturday

So szombaton simply means on Saturday.

This is not something you translate word-for-word from English; it is just the normal Hungarian way to express the day when something happens.

Because Hungarian very often uses the present tense for a planned or expected future action, especially when there is a time word that makes the future clear.

So:

• szombaton együtt ünnepelünk literally looks like on Saturday we celebrate together
• but in natural English it may be we will celebrate together on Saturday

Hungarian can use a future form with fog as well, but in cases like this the present tense is often more natural.

Együtt means together.

It is an adverb, and it tells us how the celebrating happens: the people are celebrating together.

Its position is fairly flexible, but word order affects emphasis. In this sentence, szombaton együtt ünnepelünk sounds natural and neutral. You may also hear other arrangements, but not all of them have exactly the same emphasis.

Because Hungarian usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows the subject.

• meghívom already tells you I invite
• ünnepelünk already tells you we celebrate

So:

• Meghívom... = I invite...
• ünnepelünk = we celebrate

Hungarian uses pronouns like én or mi mainly for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

For example:

• Én meghívom őket, de te nem. = I will invite them, but you won’t.

Hungarian word order is more flexible than English word order, but it is not random. It is strongly connected to topic, focus, and emphasis.

The given sentence is a natural way to say it:

• Meghívom a barátaimat, mert szombaton együtt ünnepelünk.

If you move parts around, the emphasis may change. For example:

• A barátaimat hívom meg... gives stronger focus to my friends
• Szombaton együtt ünnepelünk, ezért meghívom a barátaimat. changes the information flow

A very important extra point: if something is strongly focused before the verb, the prefix often moves away from the verb:

• neutral: Meghívom a barátaimat.
• focused object: A barátaimat hívom meg.

So yes, you can move words, but the structure and emphasis change.

Because mert introduces a subordinate clause meaning because, and in standard Hungarian spelling this is normally preceded by a comma.

So:

• Meghívom a barátaimat, mert szombaton együtt ünnepelünk.

That comma is standard and expected in written Hungarian.